Free Private Health Insurance for Hapū Members

Auckland iwi
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei has today announced a deal with nib
New Zealand (nib) to provide free universal private health
insurance for all members of the hapū to help improve their
health and wellbeing outcomes.

The agreement will give all
New Zealand-based registered members of Ngāti Whātua
Ōrākei base cover for surgical and medical (non-surgical)
hospitalisation, a specialist option which covers specialist
consultations and diagnostic procedures that don’t require
hospitalisation, and an everyday option to assist with some
day-to-day health costs like GP visits, dental,
physiotherapy and optical costs.

Under the nib scheme,
hapū members will get faster access to private hospitals
and help with the costs of non-urgent medical procedures.
Joining the scheme is free for ngā uri o Tuperiri
(registered members of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) and all
their insurance premiums and any payable excess will be paid
for by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

“Although the public
health system and ACC provide support for accidents and
acute care, it is well known that Māori are
over-represented in negative health statistics, and on top
of that, the health system in Auckland is at breaking point.
We are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of
our babies right through to our kaumātua,” says Mrs
Royal.

Roadshows are being held now to encourage the hapū
to sign up, with the insurance cover going live from April 4
2018. Most pre-existing conditions will be covered if
members join the scheme by 3 July 2018. Non-hapū family
members (children and spouses/partners of Ngāti Whātua
Ōrākei members) are also entitled to join the plan at
their own expense and receive the added benefit of the
pre-existing conditions element.

In addition, the nib
health and wellbeing programme gives members control of
their health options through personalised proactive wellness
tools, such as nib’s myhealthHQ online wellness portal. A
health management and intervention programme will also be
implemented for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to track and manage
population health outcomes. The portal will allow
identification of health trends among the hapū to enable
relevant and appropriate interventions to the health
challenges members face.

Māori health expert Sir Mason
Durie says “The potential of Iwi to lift Māori health to
new heights has yet to be fully realised. To that end Ngāti
Whātua Ōrākei has launched an ambitious plan to make
access to quality health care more timely and more
affordable. It is a commendable initiative that will
encourage early intervention so that the complications
associated with untreated conditions can be avoided.
Moreover, over time, the initiative will build a culture of
prevention where wellness, rather than sickness, will
prevail.”

nib Chief Executive Officer, Rob Hennin, says
the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei scheme is the first of its kind
and will help members of the hapū to overcome existing
barriers to health, wellness and social care. “We are
proud to be partnering with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to
deliver this innovative programme. Not only will it help
hapū members fund their healthcare needs – it also aligns
with traditional Māori principles and encourages them to
take proactive steps to improve the health and wellbeing of
future generations,” Mr Hennin said. “This partnership
is also a demonstration of how private health insurers can
help facilitate access to healthcare for all New Zealanders
by encouraging them to take greater responsibility for their
health needs,” he added.

To further cement the
partnership with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, nib has employed
two hapū members to help with setup of the project and
facilitate the sharing knowledge and skills between the two
organisations.

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